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Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2026 Subaru Crosstrek

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 11 safety complaints about the 2026 Subaru Crosstrek with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the suspension.

The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 2 complaints, 18% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers December 2025 to October 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

11 complaints on file

11

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

0

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3 · 27%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 18%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 2 · 18%
LANE DEPARTURE 2 · 18%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 2 · 18%
ENGINE 1 · 9%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 · 9%
SEAT BELTS 1 · 9%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 9%
STEERING 1 · 9%
STRUCTURE 1 · 9%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 11.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2026 at 10.

12 9 6 3
25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2025 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA crashes a car into a barrier and a pole and measures what happens to the dummies inside. This is what it awarded the 2026 Subaru CROSSTREK, and it is a separate question from what owners report going wrong later.

Test SW N/A AWD
Overall
Frontal crash
Frontal, driver
Frontal, passenger
Side crash
Side barrier
Side pole
Rollover
Chance of rollover 16.4%
Stability control standard Forward collision warning standard Lane departure warning standard

A dash means NHTSA did not rate that test for this vehicle.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER BALL JOINT

26V685000 · October 19, 2026

Do not drive until repaired

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek and Forester vehicles. The castle nut on the left-front lower control arm ball joint may be improperly fastened, which can lead to the ball joint separating from the lower control arm.
The risk
A ball joint that separates from the lower control arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and replace the left-front lower control arm ball joint assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 16, 2026. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRI26.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 8 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

STEERING

1 injured · crash · towed

The AED, Braking, Cameras and lane centering systems failed and caused a crash into the highway barrier suddenly due to defects in the driver assist systems defect in the electronic safety systems causing the steering wheel to turn forcefully to the barrier striking it. This happened without any warning despite driver input to stop the sudden steering inputs and braking.

NHTSA complaint 11749816. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I rented this car and what I noticed is that the highly polished LCD display reflects sunlight into the driver's eyes. This was noticed while driving North at approximately 7:30AM until 10:00AM. The reflection is actually blinding. The screen should have a matte finish to minimize this blinding reflection.

NHTSA complaint 11773823. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Multiple times the vehicle has allowed lane crossing with no warning neither actual assist or beep into oncoming traffic. A vehicle abruptly stopped approximately 75 feet ahead of me the vehicle did not respond and I did have to slam my brakes. I was able to stop with only 3 feet between me and the stopped vehicle. Automatic collision avoidance neither attempted to stop nor gave any warning. Blind spot monitor allows lane change with turn signal on and a vehicle in blind spot again with no warning. I was on the freeway and the center lane when this happened, I was merging into right lane. Starlink 11.6" media center freezes and lags. Dealership service department claims everything is

NHTSA complaint 11773394, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STRUCTURE:BODY
The front door check strap / door detent mechanism (both front doors). The vehicle is in my possession and available for inspection upon request. VIN and service records available. The front doors do not hold reliably in their intermediate detent positions. The door swings closed unintentionally, with no input from the occupant, on a near-daily basis. On one occasion the driver’s door closed on my leg as I was exiting, narrowly avoiding injury. My household includes a [XXX] child and a [XXX] family member, both of whom regularly enter and exit this vehicle. A door that closes without warning presents a crush and pinch hazard to the extremities and head, and the risk is greatest for a small

NHTSA complaint 11770562, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
On XXX while driving my brand-new 2026 Subaru Crosstrek with approximately 63 miles on the odometer, the vehicle suddenly lost acceleration. The AT Oil Temp warning flashed, followed by the Check Engine Light and multiple EyeSight and driver assistance warning lights. I immediately pulled off the road because I did not feel it was safe to continue driving. My [XXX] grandson was in the vehicle at the time. The vehicle was towed to the selling Subaru dealership. The dealer diagnosed transmission trouble codes P0700 and P0752 and determined that an internal valve body solenoid had failed. Because the solenoid is not serviceable separately, the entire valve body assembly was replaced under the

NHTSA complaint 11755083, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The 2026 Subaru crosstrek was sitting in the garage since 07/17/2026. I went out on 07/19/2026 to go to church. I tried to start it and it clicked rapidly like the battery didn't have enough juice to actually start it.

NHTSA complaint 11751365. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The sunroof shattered for no apparent reason. The car was parked in my garage. Something caused it to explode outwardly from within Tempered glass fell going all over the front seats. Some of the glass stood in place, but would come crashing down if I was to drive it from the wind force.

NHTSA complaint 11750085. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Subaru Crosstrek

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2025 47 0 —
2024 121 2 —
2023 36 0 —
2022 31 0 —
2021 115 1 —
2020 71 0 —
2019 286 7 —
2018 195 5 —
2017 95 1 —
2016 133 1 —
2015 17 1 —
2014 16 1 —
2013 26 1 —

Other 2026 Subaru models

Uncharted 40 Forester 35 Trailseeker 30 Solterra 18 Ascent 5

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Subaru on this site — 102 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst